According to the latest reports from Wales Online, Manchester City have expressed an interest to sign Swansea City’s winger Daniel James. The Wales international recently put in a smashing performance against the reigning Premier League champions in the FA Cup tie and it seems like Pep Guardiola has taken a liking for the player.
All this is bad news for Leeds United as they are still said to be interested in signing the winger in the summer after they missed out on him in January. Pep Guardiola had once said that Marcelo Bielsa is the best coach in the world and maybe he feels that if Bielsa wants the player, then there must be something in him.
It is no surprise that James is attracting such interest as he has been phenomenal since the turn of the year. The winge recently put in a match-winning performance for his national side as well as he scored the winner against Slovakia.
Against the Citizens in the FA Cup tie, the 21-year-old caused a lot of problems to City’s defence down the left flank. His impressive work rate, pace and ability to drive the ball forward had some of the big defenders scampering.
United were reportedly willing to pay £10m for the winger in the January transfer window, but now the Wales international is slowly getting out of bounds for the Whites. The winger is expected to sign a new improved deal which would push up his price further. Now with a club like Manchester City in the mix, United wouldn’t be able to compete financially with them.
With every passing month, United would be repenting on missing out on James as he seems to be a real talent and the fact that he has started putting in strong performances against top sides showcases that he is ready to take on the Premier League. Moreover, he is still just 21, and there is going to be a vast room for improvements in his game.
United though should still be hopeful that they can sign the winger as they can give James more regular game time. City with all their stars would find it hard to accommodate him in the playing eleven. Bielsa has already shown his trust in youngsters and if James wants his overall development, then moving to Leeds United would be a better choice. It’s needless to say by the way that the Whites can only get their hands on him if they move to the Premier League in the first place.
